BOSTON -- With a gem in progress, a joyful Brayan Bello danced off the mound after striking out George Springer to end the top of the sixth inning on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

A season during which Bello has often had difficulty executing his strong arsenal switched gears, as the righty turned in a performance reminiscent of last season, when he was Boston’s ace for several months.

Backed by a powerful fastball and pinpoint location, Bello led the Sox to a 3-0 victory.

And the dance?

“No, it wasn't anything like a dance or anything like that,” said Bello. “It was kind of just a jump with motivation and excitement. But it felt good to get him there.”

It was a feel-good night for the Red Sox, who stopped their five-game slide to start the homestand (technically it was four because one of the losses was a continuation of a suspended game in June) and have won the last two going into Thursday night’s finale.

Adding joy to the night for the Red Sox is that they demonstrated their ability to win a low-scoring game, emerging victorious with less than four runs for the first time since July 31.

Bello logged a career-high of eight innings, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out nine and throwing 97 pitches.

“That was amazing, that was fun to watch,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Under control. Pitch by pitch, he didn't get ahead [of himself]. The sinker was good, the four seamer was great, the changeup was good, the slider was outstanding. His best outing in the big leagues against a team that has given him trouble. He was able to keep them off-balance. Used the fastball enough to keep them honest. He was outstanding.”

While Kenley Jansen was called on for the final three outs -- for which he needed just six pitches -- en route to career save No. 445, the rest of the bullpen could rest.

The best way for the Red Sox to get hot for the first time since the All-Star break is for the starting pitching to perform like it did earlier in the season. Perhaps Bello’s outing can be a springboard.

“And the thing is, he was locked in, he was excited, but not too excited,” Cora said. “He was very level. He stayed in the moment, and gave us a much needed outing with where we were bullpen-wise. Obviously we’ve got a chance to win this series tomorrow.”

With Wednesday’s win, the Red Sox closed the gap to three games behind the Twins for the third American League Wild Card spot; following Monday’s doubleheader sweep, Boston was staring at a five-game deficit.

“We're in the middle of trying to get into the playoffs right now,” said Bello. “I really wanted to win this game, so that we could keep moving forward like we have.”

On a night Bello didn’t require much offensive support, Wilyer Abreu gave him a quick lead with an RBI single to the opposite field in left with two outs in the first; Bello had that slim edge for the rest of his performance.

Chris Bassitt did his part for the Blue Jays, creating a compelling pitchers’ duel in a game that lasted a mere two hours and five minutes.

“From pitch one he was on,” said Bassitt. “Out of 100 pitches, or whatever he threw, he may have hit 85, 90 spots which is off the charts. Sometimes, you’ve just got to say that was one hell of a job by their pitcher. It wasn’t anything we did wrong, it was just, he was on.”

“I love those games, mostly just because when the score is like that, you have to stay focused,” said Bello. “You have to focus on executing every single pitch. And yeah, I really enjoyed it. “

In the bottom of the eighth, there was more enjoyment. Tyler O’Neill belted a two-run homer into the Monster Seats, taking the edge off as Jansen barely broke a sweat in the ninth.

Given that this was the first time Bello went eight innings in his career, he didn’t ask Cora for the ninth. Not that he would have gotten it anyway.

“When I realized that they weren't going to take me out after that seventh, I felt, ‘Oh, wow, I feel really good. I feel good mentally and I’m focused,’ so I was excited to go back out there.”